This week here in Swaziland was the first time I experienced the swazi thunderstorms. Swaziland has some of the strongest electrical storms world wide and the campus of Waterford Kamhlaba, which is placed on a hill top, has extraordinary much lightning.

The thunderstorms are impressive to watch but you don’t want to be outside.

If it isn’t storming the weather up here is either very warm and sunny - 35 degrees sometimes, no clouds – or it is very foggy. Often when you leave your house in the morning you are actually standing in a cloud. This mist – in which you can’t even see 10 metres far – isn’t very bothering though in summer, as it is warm at the same time and the moisture can actually be quite refreshing…

During the storms it rains incredibly much and the amount of water is ridiculous. Some paths and even streets are completely flooded and even here on campus the red, dusty roads turn into muddy rivers.

There is a swazi myth explaining the thunderstorms: inside the black clouds hides the seven headed snake - Inyoka Makhandakhanda. Apart from seven heads the snake also has wings. It can spit fire and lightning. The sound of its wings moving behind the clounds is the sound of thunder. It lives in the lakes and dams of Swaziland and eats humans. It can change its shape and transform into a beautiful maiden which is obviously a hunting strategy. Many people stay therefor away from lakes and dams or at least wouldn’t go swimming there, sometimes they flip a coin into the water when passing by to keep the snake content.

Nobody was ever able to take a picture of Inyoka Makhandakhanda (like the monster of Loch Ness) so have your cameras ready when you’re travelling through Swaziland!